If you have not had chickens before I would recommend 'Starting with chickens' or 'Starting with bantams' by Katie Thear or 'Chickens at Home' by Michael Roberts. Each book is £6.95 inc P&P. Other books I stock include 'British large Fowl', 'Bantams in Colour', 'Poultry House construction', 'Incubation at home', and 'Organic Poultry', please email for prices and payment methods.

FAQ's

Why keep chickens?

Can I keep chickens?

FAQ's

Choosing my chickens

How do I order my chickens?

Why Keep Chickens?

Do you want to know where your food comes from?

We believe that 'you are what you eat' and this applies to our animals as well.

To get the best tasting and most nutritious eggs for our consumption we have to look at how are hens are kept and fed.

We know that our hens are getting the best feed and upbringing and therefore can trust that the eggs we get are as healthy and tasty as they can be.

Free Range Hens

Our hens are all kept on a Free Range system. This mean that they are free to roam during the day, but they are 'put to bed' at night for their own safety.

Contrary to poular belief chickens can fly and they like to roost in trees like other birds, they also like to scratch around for grubs and insects in the fallen leaves and they benefit from the shade that the trees give on a hot day.

Therefore our hens have access to woodland and a natural fresh water stream for their drinking water.

Fed on Natural Feeds

Our laying hens are fed only on ORGANIC layers pellets with no GM or artificial ingredients.

They also get crushed oyster shells which keep the egg shells nice and strong, and grit which helps them to break down their food - as they have no teeth.

As a treat they get mixed corn and fresh fruit and vegetables - the yellow maize and fresh 'greens' help produce the 'golden yolk' in the egg.

And as they are free range they have access to great source of natural protein that we would rather not think about, but thats why gardeners love hens!

The End Result

Is a healthy great tasting egg for you to eat!

Our eggs are NATURALLY low in cholesterol as our hens are fit not fat.

They are NATURALLY high in protein from the hens eating a varied diet.

The yolks are NATURALLY yellow with no artificial yolk colour enhancers.

Ask our customers - who won't ever eat a battery egg again.

Did you know? The colour of the yolk depends on the time of year (quality of grass and vegetation) and the individual hens diet. We do not use any artificial colour enhancers in our feed so the yolk colour will vary from a pale yellow to a dark mustard colour.

Can I keep Chickens?

Chickens make great low maintenance pets

Most of the hybrids are docile and friendly birds, the only time they chase you is for a cuddle! Ours love to help with the gardening and help themselves to slugs & worms as well as other insects, bugs and grubs around the garden.

They are great pets for children, living between 6 & 8 years, being generally hardy and enjoying a cuddle. The only trouble you will have is finding time to do the gardening as you will spend hours watching them doing silly 'chicken things' and listening to their calming clucking! Great stress relief!

You never have trouble getting friends to 'chicken sit' as they are rewarded with fresh eggs every day!

Small / Urban Garden? - Hens can be kept in Arks or moveable runs and moved to fresh grass weekly - or if space is limited sited on a permanent woodchip (not bark chip) bed and fed fresh greens daily.

Allotment?- They give free natural fertiliser. Kept in arks they can be rotated around the allotment to fertilise the ground.

Large / Rural Garden / Smallholding? Let them out in the morning and get them in before dark. This way you can benefit from the really dark yolks in the summer months. If you go on holiday they won't mind being kept in, just make sure they have access to an outdoor run to prevent overcrowding, boredom and fighting. Automatic pop hole openers are a good investment if you work during the day in the winter or have friends chicken sitting.

More FAQ's

Are chickens noisy?

No, only cockerels crow, hens cluck quite quietly and they make a bit more noise when they have layed an egg, but otherwise they are no noisier than a cat.

Do I need a cockerel?

No. If you are keeping chickens in your garden we would not recommend it as they can be noisy. Hens lay the same amount of eggs with or without a cockerel. If you are in a rural area with no close neighbours you may want a cockerel as a fox deterrant - but it would be better to ensure your house / run is fox proof.

Do chickens smell?

No more than any other pet. We recommend cleaning the house out at least once a week and if you have a moveable ark / run then move to a fresh patch of grass at least weekly. If you have woodchip or gravel in the run then you can rake it over or hose it down weekly.

Will I get rodents?

Top tips to avoid rodents

Raise your hen house 8-12" off the ground with bricks or wooden beams.

Avoid using loose paving slabs under the house or in the run.

Keep feeder in the hen house and close the house door at night or remove feeder completely when giving afternoon treats.

As a rule no. All our hybrid hens come to you fully vaccinated to 13 weeks of age. There may be vaccines available in the future for strains of bird flu, etc but these are not recommended at present. Most rare breed chickens are not vaccinated, check with your breeder.

Do they need worming?

As with cats and dogs some people worm their pets and others don't. There is a natural product for organic producers called VermX (follow the link from 'poultry chat' in the nav bar) and a chemical product called Flubenvet available from your vets. For a small back garden flock we recommend worming twice a year in Spring and autumn and whenever introducing new birds. Whilst worming your chickens you can continue to eat the eggs.

How many eggs should I get?

Expect 5-6 eggs per chicken per week in the first year. They will usually moult in their second winter and start laying again from March onwards. Some types such as the White Star, Bovans Nera and Black Rock can continue laying throughout the winter but this depends on the individual bird.

How many chickens should I get?

We recommend a minimum of 3 and find that most people start with 3 or 4.

How do I introduce new chickens?

If buying vaccinated POL pullets from a known source then keepers of small flocks can put their new chickens straight in with the others at bedtime. If you collect your new birds during the day then put the new hens either in the hen house with the door shut, in a seperate run or in a crate in the main run during the day - don't forget to give them food and water! Then put all the birds in the house together at bedtime. The next morning let all the birds out, but always put an extra feeder and drinker in the house or run for a few days so the new birds can eat away from the older ones.

If buying from an unknown source such as an auction it is best to keep new chickens seperate for 3 weeks in case they get stressed during the move and show signs of illness. After this move the runs next to each other / put out in the garden together so they get used to each other for a few days before putting them all to bed together one night. There will be some fighting but the more space they have the better. They should settle down in a few days.

What can I do to settle my new chickens in?

You can add 'Apple cider vinegar' or 'Poultry Tonic' into the drinking water or use 'Poultry Spice' in the food - I always use both when introducing new birds and during the moult. Keep your new birds in the house and run for 7-10 days so they acclimatize before letting them out to free range if required. 'Corn train' them in this time to make it easier to get them in once they are ranging. Keep handling to a minimum during this time but sit in the run with them (if you can fit!) and offer treats from the hand.

Where can I find more information and speak to other chicken keepers?

Click on the 'Poultry Chat' link in the top menu for advice from other breeders, keepers and share your experiences with many other people new to chicken keeping.

Choosing My Chickens

Hybrid 'v's Rare / Traditional Breed Chickens

Hybrid chickens have been bred for their hardiness, high egg production and temperament. Most are friendly docile birds best suited to free ranging or back garden living and make excellent, low maintenance pets.

Traditionally hybrids came in White for white eggs and Brown for brown eggs. Not very popular with hobby keepers who liked their birds to look good, but still an excellent choice if your main priority is plenty of eggs.

I offer modern hybrids from 'White House Poultry'. Bred and reared in the UK.

They come in many different colours and still lay a substantial amount of eggs compared to the traditional breeds. You can choose a bird that lays white, cream, tinted, brown, dark brown or blue eggs!

Modern Hybrids are ideal for the new poultry keeper.

Please note; for your peace of mind, all our hybrid POL birds have been fully vaccinated including the salmonella vaccine.

How do I get my chickens?

Click on the 'POL Price and Availability' link in the menu bar and choose your chickens

Decide how many of each you would like. Expect 5-6 eggs from each chicken per week during the first year. I would advise you start with 3 or 4 hens as some take longer to come into lay and if you lose one (this does occasionally happen) then you do not have a single unhappy hen.

Decide where you are going to keep your chickens. Have you got a house and run ready for them?

I can supply moveable arks and ststic houses, equipment, feed and bedding if required.

Decide if you would like to choose and collect your own chickens or you would rather I deliver them to you (for a small charge).